“What Stumped the Blue Jays,” what special gift does Jim Baker say that blue jays have over other birds?

A.&nbsp

Best talkers

B.&nbsp

Store the most food

C.&nbsp

Eat the most

D.&nbsp

Quieter than any other bird

5.

What purpose does the author have for including the following description in “What Stumped the Blue Jays”?
You may say a cat uses good grammar. Well, a cat does—but you let a cat get excited once; you let a cat get to pulling fur with another cat on a shed, nights, and you’ll hear grammar that will give you the lockjaw.

A.&nbsp

To improve readers’ grammar

B.&nbsp

To inform readers about cats

C.&nbsp

To teach readers about fighting

D.&nbsp

To make readers laugh

6.

In “What Stumped the Blue Jays,” which of the following characteristics do the blue jays seem to share with human beings?

A.&nbsp

They always support someone who has made a mistake.

B.&nbsp

They love to give advice and make fun of each other.

C.&nbsp

They are greedy and fight over everything.

7.

According to “What Stumped the Blue Jays,” blue jays

A.&nbsp

Gather in large groups

B.&nbsp

Are smarter than cats

C.&nbsp

Use bad grammar

D.&nbsp

Have no sense of humor

8.

Which of the following sentences is one of the main ideas of “Why Leaves Turn Color in the Fall”?

A.&nbsp

Leaves stop making chlorophyll as summer ends

B.&nbsp

Leaves reflect the colors of pumpkins and squash in the fall.

C.&nbsp

Photosynthesis begins in the fall.

9.

According to “Why Leaves Turn Color in the Fall,” why does the United States have brighter fall foliage than Europe?

A.&nbsp

There is too much pollution in Europe.

B.&nbsp

There are no maple trees in Europe.

C.&nbsp

The United States has colder nights and drier, sunnier days in fall.

10.

What is the main purpose of “Why Leaves Turn Color in the Fall”?

A.&nbsp

To persuade readers to stop pollution

B.&nbsp

To inform readers of scientific facts about autumn leaves

C.&nbsp

To explain the origin of macabre fall holidays

11.

Ackerman’s style in “Why Leaves Turn Color in the Fall” is

A.&nbsp

Serious yet informal.

B.&nbsp

Humorous and informal.

C.&nbsp

Detailed and poetic

D.&nbsp

Scholarly yet humorous.

12.

“Why Leaves Turn Color in the Fall,” the author compares people to leopards because she wants to stress

A.&nbsp

That leopards are endangered

B.&nbsp

That leopards hide

C.&nbsp

How powerful people are

D.&nbsp

How carefully we must observe nature

13.

Which of the following examples reflects Ackerman’s style in “Why Leaves Turn Color in the Fall”?

A.&nbsp

Her detailed explanation of how the colored leaves fall.

B.&nbsp

Her humorous description of children playing in the leaves

C.&nbsp

C. Her scholarly explanation of how leafless trees survive the winter.

14.

What purpose might have inspired this final sentence of “Why Leaves Turn Color in the Fall”?
Sometimes one finds in fossil stones the imprint of a leaf, long since disintegrated, whose outlines remind us how detailed, vibrant, and alive are the things of this earth that perish.

A.&nbsp

To make readers angry about the idea of dying

B.&nbsp

To provide readers with a sense of wonder about life

C.&nbsp

To make readers laugh

D.&nbsp

To explain how fossils are formed

15.

What is the meaning of the word guffawed in the following passage from “What Stumped the Blue Jays”?
Well, sir, they roosted around here on the house-top and the trees for an hour, and guffawed over that thing like human beings.

A.&nbsp

Stared

B.&nbsp

Chattered

C.&nbsp

Frowned

D.&nbsp

Laughed

16.

According to “Why Leaves Turn Color in the Fall,” the green chlorophyll in leaves is camouflage, which means that it